SANDUSKY, Ohio – To some, it’s scarier than the roller coaster itself: the possibility of becoming stuck at the top of Siren’s Curse and having to evacuate by descending gingerly down a metal staircase adjacent to the lift hill, 160 feet above ground.
It has happened at least three times since the coaster’s debut last month, most recently last week in a videotaped episode. The film documented the methodical evacuation, which included the riders being removed from the elevated train and escorted down the stairs.
It also captured an employee, who appeared to be unharnessed, high above the ground and inches from the edge of the coaster track, possibly in violation of federal regulations.
“He either didn’t get training or he broke protocol,” said Brian D. Avery, a ride safety expert from Florida who reviewed the video. He referred to the employee’s actions as a clear violation of federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration standards, which require fall protection when working at a height of 6 feet or more above a lower level.
“He needs to be retrained or fired,” Avery explained.
OSHA’s spokesman confirmed that on July 23, the agency received a complaint about the incident and contacted Cedar Point. “The employer responded with proof of corrective action,” according to the spokesman, and the matter has been resolved.
Tony Clark, Cedar Point’s spokesman, declined to comment specifically on any disciplinary action taken.
“Safety is a cornerstone of our business,” he told me. “We conducted an internal review and took appropriate action. Employee matters are considered confidential, so I am unable to share.”
Avery, a former ride inspector who now teaches ride safety classes at the University of Florida and the University of Central Florida, was less concerned about any safety issues associated with rider evacuations.
According to Avery, the staircase adjacent to the lift hill appears to be adequate for getting riders off. Depending on the ride, industry standards do not require riders to be harnessed while evacuating, he explained.
“They don’t look like they have any fall access points,” he told me. Nonetheless, he admitted, “It’s a very unnerving experience.”
The evacuation process has sparked a lot of discussion online, both among riders and nonriders, who say the walk down the staircase is scarier than the coaster itself. One rider, who was on Siren’s Curse when it shut down recently, described the evacuation process on Reddit as terrifying.
Since its debut in late June, the coaster has had numerous hiccups, including at least three unexpected stoppages that forced the 24-person trains to be evacuated at the top of the lift hill.
The ride’s signature feature is a 61-foot-long detachable section of steel track at the top of the 160-foot-high first hill. After the coaster train ascends the hill and settles into position on the tilt track, the track rotates a full 90%, transitioning from horizontal to vertical until riders are facing straight down. The tilt track then connects to the rest of the track, releasing the train.
Before releasing the train, an intricate system of connectors and sensors ensures that the track is properly attached. When one of these sensors is turned off, the ride is halted. In some cases, the ride can be restarted, while in others, the riders must be removed from the trains and led down the hill.
It is not uncommon for complicated rides, including many of Cedar Point’s roller coasters, to experience unexpected stops. Social media is flooded with videos of numerous rides, including the Gemini, Raptor, and Millennium Force, that were evacuated in 2025.
Still, according to Avery, the number of times Siren’s Curse has been stopped in its first few weeks of operation appears high.
“When you open a new ride, especially an experimental one, you’re pushing the envelope,” said Avery, who has worked at SeaWorld and Universal Orlando and began his career as an intern at Cedar Point in the 1990s. “I’m hopeful they’re working with the manufacturer, which I’m sure they are.”
However, he added, “You might want to hit pause for a minute,” to try to figure out what is causing the pauses. “They might already know the cause and they might be working on a solution.”
Clark, of Cedar Point, described the stoppages as “minor technical delays (similar to a check-engine light.)”
“Its safety system performed as designed, keeping all guests safe,” he said. He additionally stated: “Guest satisfaction is extremely important to us and we will continue to work closely with the ride’s manufacturer to deliver an experience without interruption.”
In the event of an emergency evacuation, he stated, “Our maintenance and operations teams are trained and certified to complete this process safely.”
According to Nick Weisenberger, co-administrator of the website Coaster101.com, Cedar Point restricts who can ride Siren’s Curse, most likely due to the evacuation process.
As specified by the ride: “Guests must have a minimum of three functioning extremities; one functioning arm that includes a hand (excluding prosthesis) with gripping force and two functioning legs that include feet.”
According to Weisenberger: “I believe this is solely due to the evacuation procedures, you have to have a hand that can grip to hold on to the handrail when walking down the stairs.”
Weisenberger stated that the ride has been stuck approximately five times, with evacuations occurring on two or three of those occasions. “It’s probably hit 10,000 cycles by now, so the chance of it happening is very small and should get even smaller over time.”
